(CEDAR CITY, Utah) - (+VIDEO) Southern Utah marks a special occasion on March 27 with a celebratory groundbreaking of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts in Cedar City. With a 25-year-effort of fundraising for a performing and visual arts complex, Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival will begin construction on a new outdoor Shakespeare Theatre. Officials will break ground beginning at 3 p.m. at the open area near the Randall L. Jones Theatre, located at approximately 200 West and Center Street.

R. Scott Phillips, executive director of the Shakespeare Festival, said that the $35 million project will include the Southern Utah Museum of Art, a new studio theatre for the Festival as well as an artistic, production building.

"This will allow us to extend programming, to run longer throughout the season, and to enrich the experience people are already having," Phillips said. "It will open in the summer of 2016 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. We are doing a huge celebration, along with the world of Shakespeare in 2016. It's going to be very exciting. It'll allow us to do things we have never been able to do before."

See the website for the upcoming season at: www.bard.org or contact the box office at 435.586.7878 or 1-800-PLAYTIX.

(CEDAR CITY, Utah) - (+VIDEO) Southern Utah marks a special occasion on March 27 with a celebratory groundbreaking of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts in Cedar City. With a 25-year-effort of fundraising for a performing and visual arts complex, Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival will begin construction on a new outdoor Shakespeare Theatre. Officials will break ground beginning at 3 p.m. at the open area near the Randall L. Jones Theatre, located at approximately 200 West and Center Street.

R. Scott Phillips, executive director of the Shakespeare Festival, said that the $35 million project will include the Southern Utah Museum of Art, a new studio theatre for the Festival as well as an artistic, production building.

"This will allow us to extend programming, to run longer throughout the season, and to enrich the experience people are already having," Phillips said. "It will open in the summer of 2016 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. We are doing a huge celebration, along with the world of Shakespeare in 2016. It's going to be very exciting. It'll allow us to do things we have never been able to do before."

See the website for the upcoming season at: www.bard.org or contact the box office at 435.586.7878 or 1-800-PLAYTIX.